It's a Tradition
by mayleebaby28
Summary: Nightmares come with the Robin title. "Tradition. No one here goes through nightmares alone."


"Bruce?" Bruce sat up in his bed. He hadn't had the chance to fall asleep since he got back from patrol. It was an intense night.

"Dick?" He asked, seeing the young boy in the silver light from the window.

"Can I sleep in here with you?" Dick asked. Bruce was baffled. Dick hadn't been Robin long. He should have been expecting this.

"Sure, Dick." Bruce moved over to his own side of the bed as the ten-year-old clambered into the big bed.

"Thanks, Bruce." Dick said quietly, burrowing into the blankets.

"Did," Bruce paused, waiting for Dick to pop up from under the blanket, "did you have a nightmare?"

"Yeah." Dick mumbled, nodding.

"Did you want to talk about it?" Bruce asked, propping himself up on his elbow.

"Not really." Dick sat up.

"Are you sure? You know, talking about it helps." Bruce said. Dick sighed.

"I dreamed that Tony Zucco came back for me. He wanted me to die with my parents." Dick explained.

"He's in jail, Dick. You're safe from him." Bruce explained.

"I know. But my trapeze gave out. And I woke up right before I hit the ground." Dick clenched his fists in the blankets.

"I won't let that happen to you, Chum. I promise to keep you safe." Bruce took Dick's hand in his and loosened it from the comforter.

"Thanks, Bruce." Dick smiled at his guardian.

"Try to get some sleep, ok? You had a long night. If you have another nightmare, you can wake me up." Bruce said as he pulled the blankets up over the both of them. "Goodnight, Dick."

He was lying still when he felt Dick wiggling over to hug Bruce.

"Thanks, Bruce. I love you." He said softly.

"I love you too, kiddo." Bruce wrapped his arms around the young boy. He would never let anyone hurt this innocent little boy. Not for as long as he would live.

* * *

Dick was never a terribly paranoid person, but when someone in the manner screamed at two in the morning, he couldn't help but fear someone was in danger.

He practically flew from his bed, stumbling over his dress shoes on the floor, and tripped his way out into the hall. He looked up and down it, eyes darting from Bruce's room to Jason's. It took a moment, but Bruce's door flew open and the older man leaned out of it as well.

"Did you scream?" He asked quietly. Dick shook his head. The two had been back from patrol for only an hour or so. Bruce probably wasn't even close to going to sleep, though he looked exhausted. The pair had a few close calls while they were out and there was a lot of paperwork.

The two of them glanced down the hall in the direction of Jason's room.

"I'll check on Jason, you go get some sleep. You seem like you need it." Dick said. Bruce sighed and nodded, which Dick knew was his way of thanking his ward, and he slowly let his door shut.

He hesitated before going to check on Jason. The boy was new around here and still having a hard time. Dick loved the kid like a brother, but it was hard to get used to.

After a moment, he went over to Jason's door and knocked.

"Jason?" He asked.

Silence.

"Jayce?" He asked again. Still no noise.

"I'm coming in." Dick said, gently pushing the door open.

Jason was sitting on his bed, cross-legged and a pillow crushed against his chest. His shoulders shook terribly.

"Hey, Jason, what happened?" Dick quickly shut the door and scanned the rest of the room. Everything seemed to be in order. The only thing out of the ordinary was the 13-year-old sobbing into a pillow.

"What's wrong, Jayce?" Dick asked again. Jason didn't offer a verbal response, just continued to sob and shook his head.

"Here, scoot over." Dick walked over to the bed and nudged the younger boy. He scooted over a little to let the 16-year-old sit beside him. "Tell me what's wrong." Dick said gently.

Jason took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke.

"You and Bruce didn't come home." He managed to choke out. It hit Dick then that Jason must have had a nightmare. He remembered getting those as a kid, especially once he started as Robin.

"Alright, come on." Dick stood up and scooped the smaller boy into his arms. "We're going to my room."

"I can walk, Dick." Jason mumbled weakly.

"I know, Jayce." Dick nodded while carrying Jason back to his room down the hall. As he reached his door, He heard Bruce's swing open. He looked back and shook his head softly at his guardian. Bruce took that as a good sign and retreated.

"Okay. You lay down here and tell me all about it." Dick set Jason down on his bed and crawled in beside him.

"You and Bruce never came home. I saw it on the news. 'The Joker slays Batman and Robin.'" Jason hiccupped. "I was alone again."

"Oh, hey, Jayce, don't cry." Dick scooted closer and put his arm around his little brother.

"I don't want to be alone again." Jason sobbed.

"Jason, Bruce and I will never, ever leave you alone. Ever." Dick soothed.

"How can you say that? You guys go out there and put yourselves in danger every night!" Jason sprang up and gestured to the window, now angry.

"Whoa, ok, hey, calm down." Dick sat up on his knees in the big bed.

"Why would you take in a kid off the streets if he's just going to end up there again?" Jason asked, angrily drying his face. Dick could see that whatever openness he was feeling was now gone.

"Jason, sit down here with me." Dick reached out and grabbed Jason's wrist. Jason didn't sit on the bed; he sank to his knees on the floor in front of Dick instead. Dick swung his legs around to rest his feet on the floor.

"If something were ever to happen to Bruce and me, you're not going to be alone. This house, Wayne Enterprises, Alfred, it would all be yours. Bruce would be sure that you'd be taken care of for the rest of your life." Dick explained quietly. He brushed Jason's wrist bone with his thumb. "We love you Jason. And we try our hardest to come home to be with you every night."

"You love me?" Jason asked quietly.

"Of course, Jaybird. You're my little brother." Dick said. Jason looked up for a moment before launching himself into the older boy's arms and sobbing into the soft cotton shirt. Dick ran his fingers through Jason's curly locks and shushed him.

"Come on up here. It's late and we both have school in the morning. You need some sleep." Dick pulled the boy up from the floor.

"I guess I'll head back to my room." Jason sniffed, standing and drying his eyes.

"Nonsense. You'll stay here." Dick said, scooting back to his own side.

"Really?" Jason asked.

"Tradition. No one here goes through nightmares alone." Dick smiled widely and was pleased when Jason returned the smile. The younger boy crawled into bed and curled up under the blankets. Dick smiled as he remembered crawling into Bruce's bed hundreds of times. Though he had grown up, he still liked to sneak into Bruce's room when he had a particularly bad nightmare.

Bruce never batted an eye when he woke up with a teenage boy curled into a ball on his bed.

"Dick?" Jason asked. Dick shook his head of his memories and looked over at Jason.

"Hm?" Dick asked.

"I love you too." Jason whispered. Dick smiled again. He reached an arm around Jason and pulled him closer.

"Goodnight, Jaybird." Dick kissed the boy's temple before pulling the blankets over himself and resting his head on his pillow. It wasn't long before Jason's soft snoring filled the room and lulled Dick to sleep.

* * *

Jason hadn't had the apartment long, but its emptiness was starting to really bother him. He knew there was more of his stuff at the Manor, but going there sounded awful.

Still. The Manor had his books.

And his old paperwork.

And his favorite CDs.

He had thought about simply sneaking in, but decided against it since Bruce would know as soon as he was on the premises anyways.

It was only three. Jason was sure his dear old dad would still be up.

It took him all of twenty minutes to hop on his bike and drive to the cave. He removed his helmet and saw his suspicions confirmed. Batman, minus the cowl, was hunched over his keyboard.

"Jason?" He asked.

"Batman." Jason replied coldly.

"What brings you here?"

"I want some stuff out of my old room." Jason glared as Bruce turned around. His old guardian blinked.

"I see."

"Then I'll be gone." Jason shrugged, heading for the stairs.

"You can stay, you know." Bruce said quietly.

"As nice as that offer is, Daddy Dearest, I think I'll pass." Jason growled. The 19-year-old stormed up to the manor and up to the second story where his old room was. He was stomping down the hall when he heard whimpering coming from one of the rooms. His eyes immediately went to Dick's room, only to remember that neither of them lived here anymore.

His eyes softened as he glanced at the door. If there was one thing he missed about living in the manor, it was his big brother.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the whimpering again.

It was coming from the Replacement's room.

Jason thought about knocking, but then decided better of it and threw the door open. Tim nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Easy, Kid, Just me." Jason said. He almost backed out of the room.

"You scared me, Jason." Tim sniffled. Jason looked at the 14-year-old and couldn't help but feel bad. Being Robin came with a lot of baggage.

"Sorry, Baby Bird." Jason stepped further into the room towards the bed.

"I didn't know you were coming over." Tim pulled his knees up to his chest and looked down at his green comforter.

"I just wanted to grab some stuff out of my old room." Jason jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"Oh." Tim nodded. That small word hung in the air. Jason thought about turning around and simply leaving the kid alone, but he knew he had an obligation to the new Robin.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jason asked. Tim's head snapped up. Honestly, Jason was as surprised as the younger boy. He wasn't good with comforting and was so ready to curl up on the couch with an old book.

"I don't," Tim started, and then sighed, "We had a run-in with the Joker tonight. A bad one." Tim said, looking back down at his blanket.

"Yeah?" Jason asked, striding to the bed and sitting down beside Tim, who remained still.

"Yeah. I got caught. And I had a dream that Batman didn't get there in time to save me." Tim said quietly.

"He wouldn't let that happen to his Robin." Jason said, immediately regretting the words. It had happened. Tim knew it.

"I mean," Jason took a deep breath, "He loves you. He wouldn't make the same failure twice." Jason said quietly.

"He loves you too, you know." Tim mumbled. Jason looked over at his younger brother. It wasn't until now that he saw the damage from his fight. He was wearing a black t-shirt and dark green sweat pants. But his arms were littered with bruises and cuts, most of them swollen and red still. And there were two clear cut tear tracks on his cheeks.

"Come on, Timmy, don't cry." Jason said quietly. He looped an arm around Tim and gently rubbed his shoulder while looking anywhere but at the young boy. He let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"Sorry. I'm sure you want to go back home." Tim said quietly. Jason looked at the bedside clock. It was almost four in the morning.

"I think it's a bit late to be heading back. I'll just stay here for tonight." Jason shrugged.

"Really?" Tim asked, his eyes shimmering with leftover tears.

"Yeah. Come on, let it out." Jason said, running his hand over Tim's back. Tim fell into his older brother's chest and cried. "I know, Kiddo." Jason mumbled. He didn't know what to say except sorry over and over.

As great of an honor it is to hold the title of Robin, he wouldn't wish it on anyone. It's a lot for a kid.

Jason fell back on the pillows, bringing Tim with him. The younger of the two cried harder as Jason got them situated.

He propped himself up so he could lean back with Tim comfortably cuddled to his side under his arm, and then he covered them both with a blanket. He wished he had turned off the light before doing so, but he would have to deal with it now.

"Thanks for staying, Jason." Tim mumbled.

"No problem, Baby Bird. I've had 'em too." Jason wrapped his other arm around Tim and rocked him carefully. He kissed the top of his head and rested his cheek in his soft black hair.

"I love you, Jason." Tim muttered. Jason stopped rocking and looked down. Tim was half asleep. The two had never gotten along well, but Jason had always known this kid was his little brother. He had to take care of him.

"Back at you, Kid." Jason nodded, letting Tim get comfortable again against his side. Jason listened as Tim's breathing evened out when he heard another noise.

Bruce was standing in the open door way smiling. Jason shrugged with his free shoulder.

"I guess one night won't kill me." Jason whispered.

"I'm sure Alfred will be thrilled." Bruce said. "Goodnight, Jason." Bruce flicked off the lights and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Tim looked longingly at his bed. It was late, and he hadn't even been able to make it back to his apartment. He was too tired after patrol and Poison Ivy had hit him with something to make him tired. Dick had practically dragged him to the Batmobile.

After a few hours-worth of testing and cleansing, Bruce told him to go up to bed.

And Tim wasn't about to argue.

He changed into pajamas and was about to crawl into bed when he heard a loud thump. He looked around to see if anything had fallen, but his room was still the pristine room it was before.

Tim set out to investigate. He shared a wall with Dick's room, which was empty tonight, and Damian's room.

His best bet was to check on the Demon.

He slowly opened the door and saw Damian standing near his window.

"Damian?" Tim asked. Damian didn't turn around.

"I'm fine, Drake. I just dropped a book." Damian said. Tim knew it was a lie. There was no book on the floor anywhere. But the house phone receiver lay broken in a few pieces by the wall that Tim knew was shared with his room.

"Why aren't you in bed, Damian?" Tim asked. He quietly shut the door.

"It doesn't concern you Drake. You're not my mother." Damian snapped angrily. "Or father." He quickly added.

"No, but I am your older brother. And a twelve-year-old boy needs his sleep." Tim pointed out. Damian still hadn't turned around.

"What are you looking at?" Tim walked up beside him and looked out the window as well, but saw nothing. He looked over at Damian and saw that he wasn't looking out the window; he was looking down at the sill with his eyes closed. "Damian?"

"Leave me alone." Damian pushed away from the window and stomped over to his bed. "I'm fine."

Tim waltzed over and stooped to pick up the shattered phone.

"This doesn't look fine, Damian." Tim said. He set the mangled phone on the desk. "Who were you calling?"

"It doesn't matter. Just go back to your room." Damian curled up in his bed with his face buried in his pillow.

"Damian." Tim sighed. He walked over and sat on the bed before he began rubbing Damian's back. He had been having a lot of trouble since he came back. "What's wrong? Did you have another nightmare?" Tim asked.

"Don't be idiotic, Drake." Damian said, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"I told you you're safe here. And none of us will let anything happen to you again. We don't want to lose our baby brother again." Tim said softly. Damian paused for a moment before pushing himself up to a sitting position and leaning his head on Tim's shoulder.

"It wasn't me this time." Damian said quietly. Tim looked down at him in surprise. He reached up to wipe away a stray tear.

"No? You want to tell me about it?" Tim asked, running his hand through Damian's hair.

"I want mother." Damian said quietly.

"Talia?" Tim asked.

"I saw it. I saw her dying." Damian explained. "I never got to say goodbye. Or tell her I was sorry." He said.

"She-" Tim started to speak but Damian whispered something else.

"Or tell her I loved her." With that, Damian threw himself down into Tim's lap, crying.

"Oh, Damian." Tim sighed. He ran his hand over the younger boy's back. The 17-year-old didn't know what to say. They had all lost their parents young, but Damian hadn't been there when his mom died. He left her on his own before she was gone forever.

"I want my mom." He sobbed.

"I know, Dami." Tim nodded. He lifted Damian up to curl him into his lap, which was getting harder the bigger he got. "She knows you loved her."

"I tried to call her cell phone, just to hear her voice. But the number has been disconnected." Damian cried harder.

"Shhh, its ok, Dami." Tim rubbed Damian's back again before making a decision. He hoisted Damian up into his arms and headed towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Damian asked, sniffling.

"My room. You can stay with me tonight." Tim said quietly. Damian reached out to turn off his bedroom light as they passed the switch. They paused in the hall as Bruce walked by, seeing his youngest son was being carried out of his room. He was also surprised that Damian was latched on like a koala bear.

"Are you alright, Damian?" Bruce asked gently.

"He'll be ok, Bruce. I've got it under control." Tim explained. Bruce smiled. He leaned down to kiss the crown of Damian's head, then he ruffled Tim's hair, much like he used to when Tim was little.

Tim continued into his room with Damian wrapped around his torso.

"Father will think I'm weak." Damian said softly.

"No he won't. We've all had nightmares. Even Bruce. It comes with being Robin." Tim explained as he set Damian down on his bed. "Did you want to tell me about it?"

"Mother was in pain. Someone was hurting her, and I heard her screaming, but no matter where I looked I couldn't see her. Then I saw it. I saw her last moments. She was shot, correct?" Damian asked.

"That's," Tim paused, "that's what Jason said." He nodded.

"I want my mommy." Damian blubbered.

"I know, Damian." Tim pulled Damian close and rocked gently. "She knows. She knows you love her. And I'm sure she loved you too. We're just not in the right business for love." Tim explained.

"Mother never said it." Damian mumbled into Tim's shoulder.

"Damian, she loved you. She wouldn't have trained you if she didn't. You were her baby." Tim soothed. "She may have had a funny way of showing it, but she only wanted the best for you."

"She told me I was no longer welcome."

"I know. But she just wasn't ready to let go yet. She cloned you because she wanted you back. But you grew up too much already." Tim rested his head on top of Damian's head. "She didn't want her little boy to grow up and leave her."

"I didn't mean to leave her. But Batman needed a Robin." Damian looked up at Tim.

"He did. He does. And you're great at it. Come on, let's get some sleep, ok?" Tim asked.

"Alright." Damian crawled under the covers as Tim got up to turn off his bedroom light.

"She loved you, Damian. And she knows you love her." Tim repeated himself as he tucked Damian in tight.

"Thanks, Drake." Damian mumbled quietly.

"You're welcome, Damian." Tim climbed into bed beside Damian and was lying wide awake for a while. After a little while, Damian's breathing evened out and his gentle snoring filled the room. He even rolled over towards Tim and curled into his arms. Tim smiled and kissed Damian's forehead.

* * *

Bruce was up late working. Patrol had been very long and included a run-in with the Joker. That never made for an easy night.

He had sent Damian to bed two hours ago. He had received a few injuries, but nothing major. He got some bandages and an ice pack before he was ushered up to the main house.

Bruce trudged up the stairs, not sure if he would make it. He thought about just sleeping on the stairs. He had to think about installing an elevator. Was that spoiled? Would that be frowned upon? If they knew he was Batman, the general public would just carry him up the stairs every night.

He finally made it up to the second story and stopped to check on Damian. Sound asleep with the melting ice pack on his nightstand. Bruce quietly opened the door, took the bag of ice, and tucked the blankets around Damian gently. He threw the plastic bag in the trash can by the door on his way out.

Tim and Jason's rooms were empty tonight. Tim was staying at Titans Tower this week. And Jason didn't stay often.

Bruce passed Dick's room and couldn't help but double check. He never knew when Dick would be staying over. And he really couldn't remember if he had left after getting Damian home.

But the room was empty as well. He could only hope that one day he would have all his boys under one roof again.

He finally reached his own room, which was already cracked open. When he opened the door all the way, he saw Dick, dressed in pajama pants and a t-shirt, sitting on his bed.

"Dick. I thought you went home." Bruce said, turning on his bedroom light.

Dick winced at the bright light.

"I thought it was too late. I don't work until tomorrow night so I don't have to be home until two or so." Dick explained, standing up.

"Why aren't you in bed, then?" Bruce asked, shutting his door behind him.

"I was." Dick leaned on one of the bed posts, his hand running over the intricate wood work. "I, uh, I had the dream again." He mumbled.

Bruce's eyes widened. He had assumed Dick's reoccurring nightmare of dying like his parents had stopped years ago, but he realized that it was around the time they had their falling out. Dick's nightmare didn't stop; he just stopped coming to sleep in Bruce's bed.

"Did you want to stay here, tonight?" Bruce asked.

"You don't mind, do you?" Dick looked up at his old mentor.

Bruce looked across the room at the 25 year old man. He still saw a little boy standing there in his oversized pajamas. He saw his little boy.

"Of course not. You're always welcome to stay here, Dick." Bruce said. He turned the lights off again and strode towards the bed.

"Thanks, Bruce." Dick flopped into bed and curled himself up in the blankets.

"Get some sleep, Dick. You've had a long night." Bruce closed his eyes, waiting for Dick to wiggle over to his side of the bed. It only took a moment for the younger boy to be resting in his old guardian's arms.

"I love you, Bruce." Dick yawned.

"I love you too, Chum."


End file.
